Record-Breaking Heatwave Hits WA, OR & Canada: 2021 vs 2010

[Astronuc]

We had a similar thread back in 2010.

Now a high pressure heat dome is sitting over eastern Washington, Oregon and northern Idaho, and up into Canada. Cities and towns are experiencing record temperatures for June. Normally such temperatures aren't experienced until mid-to-late July or early August, if at all.

AP - Seattle hit 107 degrees Fahrenheit (42 Celsius) by mid-afternoon — well above Sunday’s all-time high of 104 F (40 C) — on the way to an expected high of 110 F (43 C). Portland, Oregon, reached 115 F (46 C) after hitting new records of 108 F (42 C) on Saturday and 112 F (44 C) on Sunday.

In the Columbia basin high temperatures were between 111 - 115 F (44 - 46 C). Tomorrow, temperatures may peak around 117-118 F (47-48 C).

Washington Post
Portland, Seattle and Canada break all-time records again amid historic heat wave
Temperatures shot up even higher Monday after setting all-time marks on Sunday. Portland and Seattle climbed to at least 115 and 108 degrees. A town in British Columbia hit 118.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/06/27/heat-records-pacific-northwest/

The strength of the heat dome, or sprawling zone of high pressure centered near the U.S.-Canada border, promoting these temperatures is setting records and off the charts. Its intensity is so statistically rare that it might be expected only once every several thousand years on average. But human-caused climate change has made exceptional events such as this many times more probable.

Seattle had three consecutive days in the 100s F for the first time since records have been maintained. More the half of homes do not have airconditioning (cooling).

Some records

Monday

• Portland reached at least 115 degrees, topping 112 from Sunday and 108 from Saturday. (Before this weekend, the previous record was 107 from 1981.)
• Seattle reached 108 degrees, topping 104 degrees from Sunday. (Before this weekend, the previous record was 103 from 2009.)
• Spokane reached at least 108, tying the mark from 1928 and 1961.
• Dallesport, Wash., reached 118 degrees, which preliminarily ties the Washington state record.
• Salem, Ore., reached at least 117 degrees, topping 113 from Sunday. (Before the weekend, the previous record was 108 from 1927, 1941, and 1981.)
• Vancouver, Wash., reached 116 degrees, topping 112 degrees Sunday and 108 on Saturday. (Saturday’s 108 tied a previous mark from 2009.)
• Moses Lake, Wash., reached 112 degrees, tying 112 in 1961.
• Quillayute, Wash., reached 110, topping a record of 99 from 1981.
• Olympia, Wash., reached 110 degrees, surpassing the 105 mark from Sunday, 2009 and 1981.
• Bellingham, Wash., reached 99 degrees, topping 96 in 2009.
• Shelton, Wash., reached 109 degrees after hitting 107 Sunday, both topping 104 from 2009.
• Stampede Pass, Wash., reached 95 degrees after 93 on Sunday tied the high mark from 2004.
• The Dalles, Ore., reached 118 degrees, topping Sunday’s 114. (Before this stretch, the record was 111 in 1998 and 1992.)
• Medford, Ore., reached 115 degrees, tying the mark from 1946. This breaks the June record for Medford (111) and the state of Oregon (113).
• Troutdale, Ore., reached 115 degrees, topping 112 Sunday and 109 on Saturday. (Before this weekend, the previous record was 108 in 1977.)
• McMinnville, Ore., reached 114 degrees, topping 111 degrees Sunday. (Before this stretch, the max was 110 in 1926 and 1925.)
• Hillsboro, Ore., reached 114 degrees, topping 109 degrees Sunday. (Prior, the highest temperature was 108 in 2006.)

Meanwhile in my neck of the woods, our high was 93°F (34°C) according to a local weather station, but felt like 102°F (39°C) because of the 46% humidity. Our backyard thermometer indicated 101°F (38°C) in the shade.

 

[Stephen Tashi]

I'm in the process of replacing my evaporative cooler, so have done without air conditioning for a few weeks. We've had typical June weather, 100 F plus degree highs. But more to the point, inside the house it has been 90 F at the computer desk. In the low humidity and wearing only a boxer shorts, I was comfortable with a fan blowing over me. This week it has begun to rain and the weather has turned "cold", daily highs in the 80's.

 

[member 428835]

Just spoke to my younger cousin in Portland: they fried an egg on the asphalt (she said 143 deg F)! Safe to say it's warm there.

 

[Janus]

Luckily, we didn't have to go anywhere, and were able to stay inside with the AC on*. 115 is a bit warm for my blood. It's supposed to only reach 95 tomorrow and cool off to 69 tonight ( last night it only got down to 82).
I heard somewhere that this is something like a once in a thousand years event.

 

[OmCheeto]

Just spoke to my younger cousin in Portland: they fried an egg on the asphalt (she said 143 deg F)! Safe to say it's warm there.

I measured a spot on my roof at 176°F yesterday around 2 pm.
As usual, I utilized my time taking measurements around the house, looking for ways to improve my thermal efficiency.

I heard somewhere that this is something like a once in a thousand years event.

And this is why I'll probably never get around to doing any permanent improvements.

 

[berkeman]

We had a similar thread back in 2010.

I heard somewhere that this is something like a once in a thousand years event.

Well, my math is a bit rusty, but let's see, carry the 11...

 

[phyzguy]

I heard somewhere that this is something like a once in a thousand years event.

We hope that's the case. The concern is that with climate change this can become a much more common event.

 

[Janus]

We hope that's the case. The concern is that with climate change this can become a much more common event.

Unfortunately, I think that was the gist of it. That this is typically an extremely rare event that it likely to become less rare.

 

[Astronuc]

Our back yard (kitchen window) thermometer indicates a balmy 104°F (40°C) with 44% humidity. The weather app on my phone indicates 97°F (36°C) but the humidity makes it feel like 106°F (41°C). Standing in the sun feels oppressive, but it's nice under the maple tree although still on the warm side.

Edit/update - I received a notification that colleagues in the Pacific Northwest may be facing periodic power disruptions due to the grid reaching capacity. Load shedding may result in non-essential and residential areas. So it's not just California and Texas.

Blackouts in US Northwest due to heat wave, deaths reported
https://apnews.com/article/climate-...t-and-nature-6a66be20ed86ad18ed131156c9f7a517

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The unprecedented Northwest U.S. heat wave that slammed Seattle and Portland, Oregon, moved inland Tuesday — prompting a electrical utility in Spokane, Washington, to resume rolling blackouts amid heavy power demand.

Officials said more than a half-dozen deaths in Washington and Oregon may be tied to the intense heat that began late last week.

Spokane reached a high of 109 F (42.2 C)

Tri-Cities (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco) is currently 117°F (47.2°C) and there is an alert for rolling blackouts.

Edit/Update - The Record-Breaking High Temperatures Aren’t Even the Worst Part of the Pacific Northwest Heat Wave
https://slate.com/technology/2021/06/seattle-heat-dome-record-temperatures-climate-change.html

Before this year [this week], Seattle has seen just three days at or over 100 degrees since 1894. Now we have had three 100-plus-degree days in a row.

 

[Keith_McClary]

Rockies ~50th parallel. Low 30s C with low teens overnight. The box fan in the basement window, with some main floor windows open, running overnight, cools the house to ~18 by morning, so far.

 

[Astronuc]

Lytton, BC, CA set a record for Canada, and now it's on fire!
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/entire-town-that-set-heat-wave-record-is-now-on-fire/ar-AALEMdr

Lytton, a town of just 250 people, had earlier in the week topped 121.3°F (49.6°C), setting a record for the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Canada. The entire town had to be completely evacuated as flames jumped fences and incinerated every single building as 45 mph winds whipped up burning debris. Most residents had no time to collect any belongings as the fire drew down on them, the mayor said.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-wildfires-june-30-2021-1.6085919

A small B.C. village that endured the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Canada for days on end this week was engulfed in flames Wednesday night and residents were forced to flee, many without their belongings.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57654133
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57665715

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Unfortunately, I think that was the gist of it. That this is typically an extremely rare event that it likely to become less rare.

It is still a once in a thousand year event, but we may be down from human years, to dog years, to ant years now.

It was so hot that I fried an egg on my cat.

 

[Drakkith]

It was so hot that I fried an egg on my cat.

Huh. Normally you have to pay extra for that.

 

[mcastillo356]

In Europe, in Spain, at the paper "El Pais", the headline is "The heat, the new sanitary crisis of North America".
More than six hundred deads because of the extremely high temperatures, majorly at the British Columbia. The paper draws a very pessimistic point of view about it. It's obvious it will pass.

 

[Keith_McClary]

It cooled down to 15C at midnight, but then it warmed up to 23C !

 

[Ygggdrasil]

We hope that's the case. The concern is that with climate change this can become a much more common event.

(source:twitter)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

A few more summers like this and baseball will end up a winter sport.

One common problem in extreme heat can be car tires failing. I remember this happening some years ago down in California but didn't hear about anything this time.

 

[Astronuc]

Mount Rainier snowpack suddenly 20 inches below normal.
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/opinion/article252442718.html

What’s causing the drought in the West — and why it’s so bad
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/whats-causing-the-drought-in-the-west-and-why-its-so-bad

Three main factors contribute to the natural phenomenon of drought: snowpack, soil moisture and temperatures.

 

[Keith_McClary]

We had frost this morning.
-1.4C.

 

[Janus]

We had another bout of flirting with 100 F temps just recently with nighttime temps only dropping to the 70s. Then last Friday, I woke up to a temp of 49 and it didn't even make it to 70 that day.

 

[SimplePrimate]

It's a good thing global warming can be defeated by argument

 

[mcastillo356]

It's a good thing global warming can be defeated by argument

Sorry, I am not native. The word "argument" means, at on-line Cambridge Dictionary, disagreement, or reason... I can't translate it to Spanish. I'm very interested in your sentence. How can we defeat global warming?
Greetings

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Sorry, I am not native. The word "argument" means, at on-line Cambridge Dictionary, disagreement, or reason... I can't translate it to Spanish. I'm very interested in your sentence. How can we defeat global warming?
Greetings

He was being facetious

 

[SimplePrimate]

Sorry, I am not native. The word "argument" means, at on-line Cambridge Dictionary, disagreement, or reason... I can't translate it to Spanish. I'm very interested in your sentence. How can we defeat global warming?
Greetings

Sorry, my attempt at black humor (it's funny because most everything dies)

 

[Evo]

It's ok to discuss the weather, but don't mistake the weather for climate change. Also remember that discussions of actual climate change need to go into the Earth sciences sub-forum and conform to the rules of only known science to be discussed, not the weather.

 

[SimplePrimate]

 

[SimplePrimate]

don't mistake the weather for climate change.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It's ok to discuss the weather, but don't mistake the weather for climate change. Also remember that discussions of actual climate change need to go into the Earth sciences sub-forum and conform to the rules of only known science to be discussed, not the weather.

So whether you weather a weather discussion is up for debate.